True Grit: A Profile
By Bill LaPointe
Since moving to what was supposed to be my primary home in Palm Springs but now is my secondary home (not the best time to sell), I have met some very interesting people.
I first heard about the feisty Erma Orsino from my neighbors 76–year-old Bob and 86-year-old Harry. These are two of the loveliest guys who made me feel welcome. We became instant friends. More on them later.
I was told she nearly single-handedly saved our mobile-home park from going private. This took an enormous amount of time researching and attending all of the meetings leading up to a vote by the Palm Springs City Council.
When the planes fly over our property more frequently than they should, she’ll pick up the phone and directly call the air-traffic control tower and give them a piece of her mind.
These efforts are nothing compared to her nearly 50-year struggle with the Department of Veterans Affairs. That is when Navy intelligence began a systematic assault on her for kissing a woman in the parking lot outside a bar. At the time, she wasn’t certain she was a lesbian. She had some thoughts, so she decided to ask a girl to kiss her. She immediately got sick to her stomach. However, the girl and her girlfriend became very mean and reported her to Civilians in Disguise (CID). Thus began a tumultuous and self-destructive life.
Harassed during the interrogation process and by fellow military personnel in her unit (who would not talk to her) was just the beginning. Her desire to become the first female admiral was dashed. When she went home, her family shunned her. She was suicidal during this period. To this day she is filled with hurt and anger for the lies her interrogators put in their report. “They took away my pride; they took away my life,” she painfully expressed. “They threatened me with five years of imprisonment if I didn’t sign some papers,” of whose contents Orsino had no idea. For three months they continued their assault and harassment.
She eventually moved away and started a new life in California, where she became the first female barber and men’s hairstylist. She styled the hair for such dignitaries as Pierre Salinger, Rock Hudson and many others. She was flown all over the country. She also dated Peter Lawford. By 1978 she tired of the Hollywood scene and moved to Palm Springs.
She became a pilot and used to race planes. She became a member of the 99’s, a group of women pilots with chapters all over the country. Amelia Erhardt started this group and called it the 99’s because that was the number of women who attended the first meeting.
The toll on her emotional and physical life continued to plague her. Having lost sight in one eye, Orsino, a cancer survivor, became increasingly depressed. She eventually had a nervous breakdown. She described to me how when one has low self-esteem, it leads to a spiral abusive relationships and self -loathing.
In 1991 she began her 17-year process of getting Veterans Affairs to address her grievances. She would later go after the Department of Defense.
Initially, she was stonewalled by Veterans Affairs regarding her records. Only when she decided to apply to Social Security for benefits did they get the records from Veterans Affairs. This was followed by years of research and examinations (physical and emotional) and appeals for her to recapture her dignity by being awarded several settlements that now entitle her to benefits and a monthly income. She still has one more appeal left, which is to make these benefits retroactive. “They don’t tell you what your benefits are,” Orsino said. “I was informed by a client advocate at the Veterans Administration in Loma Linda.”
Orsino also has several military law manuals she has used to fight her cases.
I’m so very fortunate to have met Erma Orsino and hope our friendship continues over the years.